Teenage
Inbetweeners.
Teenage is a documentary based on the book by Jon Savage, which argues that the teenager was not an invention of James Dean, Elvis Presley and the 1950s. Instead, we go back…
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A life in
the pictures.
Films that stay with you.
Writing that looks a little closer.
Explore the collected reviews of Linda O’Brien.
397 REVIEWS · ONE CRITIC’S PERSPECTIVE
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Half-baked in a half-shell.
The theme song for the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film (now there’s a phrase I never thought I’d write) is called 'Shell Shocked'. Terribly clever wordplay from Juicy J and Wiz…
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Shell shocker.
There are a lot of really brilliant movies that are made for children. Then there are the ones that seem specifically designed to torture parents everywhere. My own mother has never quite…
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Terminator: Genisys
Built in obsolescence.
I’m sure at some stage in the future a real-life Doc Brown will get his act together and throw a flux capacitor inside a Prius but until then we’ll have to rely…
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Testament of Youth
Memento mori.
The 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War 1 was marked beautifully, not by that horribly tacky Sainsbury’s ad but with an army of ceramic poppies surrounding the Tower of London.…
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That’s My Boy
Really bad boys.
Adam Sandler should seriously consider changing the name of his production company. The “Happy Madison” logo that appears at the beginning of new Sandler vehicle That’s My Boy, calls to mind a…
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The Act of Killing
Portrait of a killer.
The Act of Killing is a documentary which is packed with surreal and disturbing images – but the most surreal of these takes place in a rather mundane setting, the studio of…
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The Amazing Spider-Man
Once more with feeling.
Talking to people in the last few weeks about the upcoming release of The Amazing Spider-Man, the prevailing reaction has been “Didn’t I just see that?!” It’s a fair point. Though the…
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The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Hero worship.
In director Marc Webb’s second visit to the Marvel universe we rejoin Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) and Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) on the day of their high-school graduation. Life is good for…
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The American
The very quiet American.
The American is a very strange beast. The big name casting of George Clooney and the high octane promotional trailer suggests that the film marks Anton Corbijn’s post-Control assault on the mainstream.…
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The Babadook
Be afraid of the dark.
Do you remember what kept you awake when you were little? An errant shadow on the bedroom wall? A creak outside the door? Perhaps the wardrobe that was open just a crack……
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The Beaver
Talk to the hand.
Having a very public breakdown isn’t the setback it once might have been in Hollywood- just look at Charlie Sheen. Mel Gibson is a different story though. His public persona up until…
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The BFG
A huge disappointment.
When adults speak about the joy and wonder of childhood, they forget one very crucial thing; children are tiny anarchists. They rejoice in the squalid, mischievous aspects of life that are inaccessible…
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The Big Short
Coming up short.
No matter how basic (or non-existent) your understanding of the financial collapse of 2007/8, you will know that at its heart was a simple mantra; “Greed is good.” Although Gordon Gekko's red…
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The Bling Ring
The kids aren’t alright.
Sofia Coppola’s latest film is based on an article in Vanity Fair magazine entitled "The Suspect Wore Louboutins." If you think that sounds like a flimsy source for a motion picture, well,…
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The Brothers Bloom
What a con!
Rian Johnson turned heads and divided audiences with his debut feature Brick, a film that brought Raymond Chandler style to a modern American high school. Some saw it as original and fresh,…
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The Cabin in the Woods
Cabin fever!
This review really is a tricky one to write up. My overall intention is to get you, good reader, to drop what you’re doing and go see The Cabin in the Woods…
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The Collector
A tortuous bore.
The Collector is the first directorial effort of Marcus Dunstan, who has been writing for the Saw franchise since number 4 and has just finished work on 7…the mind boggles. Clearly trying…
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